After kitting out Steve Jobs' yacht, this company wants to make your home smarter

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Our homes are getting smarter by the day, but how do you take command of all this increasingly intelligent gadgetry? With the brand new Savant Remote, Savant is hoping, a svelte touchscreen controller that connects up with hardware from Sonos, Apple and other big names.

You might not have heard of Savant before unless you've got a beach-front property in Malibu - the company builds bespoke, high-end smart home systems and is best known in the tech world for kitting out Steve Jobs' yacht.

If it's good enough for Steve Jobs, it's good enough for us. And the new remote control looks like being the firm's cheapest device to date: a mere US$500 (about £328, AU$685).

Scene this before?

What do you get for your money? This is more than just a remote, because it includes a smart hub and a lamp remote communicating over Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. You can use it to control a range of kit from the likes of Samsung and Sony.

One of the best features is the ability to create specific 'Scenes': dimmed lighting and soulful tunes for date night, for example. Voice control is included so a quick "goodnight" will send all of your devices into sleep mode.

With the likes of Google, Apple and Samsung rushing to get hubs and platforms established, it's not an easy market for consumers to navigate right now - in fact you might be best off waiting a year or two to see what standards get established. Shipping for the Savant Remote starts in December and you can already put your name down for one on the company's website.

• Every single home appliance that works with Apple HomeKit